Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com

Deion Sanders thinks Kevin Kolb has the toughest job in the NFL this season.

The NFL Network analyst said so during an interview with Tony Bruno and Harry Mayes on 97.5 The Fanatic.

"He has the toughest job in the NFL this year because, for one, he's replacing McNabb," Sanders said. "You can't replace McNabb. He's filling in for McNabb. And secondly, Mike Vick is behind this man. You know in your cars it says objects in mirror are closer than they appear? The first bad pass he throws, those wonderful, valedictorian-type fans... those wonderful fans are going to be chanting 'Vick, Vick, Vick' on the second play of the game if he throws an errant, bad pass. He has the toughest job in the NFL this year. He really does."

Bruno and Mayes had CBS analyst Phil Simms on and asked him if he agreed with Sanders. He did not, and in this case, served as the voice of reason.

"Andy Reid is not going to have a quick hook with Kevin Kolb," Simms said. "He's going to get more than one chance to make this work. And my guess is Andy Reid's been watching film for three years, he believes it's going to work. And his assessment of how things have gone since he's been coach of the Eagles, it's been pretty good. So they've got a lot of information and they trust what they're doing, and I believe it'll work."

For the record, you may hear a lot of talking heads debate whether Vick will get a chance to take the starting job from Kolb. That's not going to happen. Kolb is the guy, unless he gets injured. His struggles will be viewed as growing pains. The Eagles would not have traded Donovan McNabb if they didn't have confidence in Kolb and didn't view him as the long-term answer. They would not have given him $12.25M guaranteed either.

Simms talked about Kolb and what he expects from the Eagles' new starting QB.

"Andy Reid has proven he knows how to get it done," Simms said. "I think the offensive line is very solid, and of course, they have good skill people, so that's going to help him. And the kid's got talent. I think he's improved greatly in the three years I've watched him since he's come to the NFL."

As for McNabb, Simms expects him to play well in Washington and said the Redskins could be one of this year's surprise teams.

"Some things won't change with Donovan. He's still going to miss throws where we just go 'Oh my gosh. How could you miss that?'" Simms said. "That's going to continue to happen the rest of his career no matter how long he plays. But I think the Shanahans can design plays that really help a quarterback that has the qualities of McNabb. He can move enough, he can get outside the pocket, he has a strong arm, and I think Kyle Shanahan and Mike Shanahan are the best in the NFL, along with Mike Martz, at designing and getting receivers open deep down the field. We're going to see some play-actions and we're going to see him air it out, and I think the whole thing's going to work together pretty well. ...I'm not saying that they're going to be a big-time contender, but they have a chance to be one of the surprise teams of the year."

Sheil Kapadia is in his fifth season writing about the Eagles and the NFL for philly.com. His earliest
memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with
his Dad. He's not a beat writer or an Insider, but is here to
discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or
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